Contact Abraham
Mail Code PF
Abraham Ravett
Jerome Liebling Center 107
413.559.5492
Abraham Ravett
Professor of Film and Photography
Abraham Ravett holds a B.F.A and M.F.A in filmmaking and photography and has been an independent filmmaker for the past thirty-five years. He was born in Poland and raised in Israel and the U.S.A.
Abraham Ravett holds a B.F.A and M.F.A in filmmaking and photography and has been an independent filmmaker for the past thirty-five years. He was born in Poland and raised in Israel and the U.S.A. Mr. Ravett received grants for his work from the Massachusetts Cultural Council; National Foundation for Jewish Culture: Fund for Documentary Filmmaking; National Endowment for the Arts; The Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities; The Japan Foundation; The LEF Foundation; The Marion and Jasper Whiting Foundation; and a 1994 filmmaking fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. His films have been screened internationally, including at several one-person shows at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. His work has won “Top Prize” at the Viennale 2000, Ann Arbor Film Festival, and Onion City Film/Video Festival. In 1999, he collaborated with dancer/choreographer Bill T. Jones on his solo performance "The Breathing Show." A retrospective of Ravett's films was shown at the 2014 Festival Film Dokumenter Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Recent and Upcoming Courses
-
"Certain people start with a documentary and arrive at fiction...others start with fiction and arrive at the documentary."-Jean Luc Godard This is an introductory course for students who would like to explore their interest in documentary practice. Through a combination of screenings, lectures, readings and technical workshops, we will explore a critical/historical overview of this genre and incorporate our knowledge and experience to produce individual or collaborative projects in a variety of "modes of representation". Projects need not be restricted to a particular medium; in fact, students will be encouraged to explore the ways in which 16mm or Super 8 film, video, photography and/or animation can be utilized together. Meeting times are 3 hours per week plus an evening screening. There is a lab fee for this course. Keywords:Documentary, non-fiction
-
This course teaches the basic skills of 16mm film production, including camera work, editing, animation, optical printing and preparation for a finished work in film and video. Students will submit weekly written responses to theoretical and historical readings and to screenings of films and DVDs that represent a variety of aesthetic approaches to the moving image. There will be a series of filmmaking assignments culminating in a final project. The bulk of the work will be produced in 16mm format including animation, optical printing, plus a variety of ways to self-process film or create cameraless moving images. Digital image processing and non-linear editing will also be supported. KEYWORDS:16mm filmmaking
-
This is an introductory course for students who would like to explore their interest in documentary practice. Through a combination of screenings, lectures, readings and technical workshops, we will explore a critical/historical overview of this genre and incorporate our knowledge and experience to produce individual or collaborative projects in a variety of "modes of representation." Projects need not be restricted to a particular medium; in fact, students will be encouraged to explore the ways in which film, video, photography and/or animation can be utilized together. The emphasis in our screenings will be geared towards films that profile musicians, composers, and the music-making experience. Keywords:Filmmaking, documentary, music, NON-FICTION
-
This course teaches the basic skills of 16mm film production, including camera work, editing, animation, optical printing, and preparation for a finished work in film and video. We will explore multiple ways this spatial-temporal medium can shape our perceptions of the world and help narrate stories waiting to be told. Students will submit weekly written responses to theoretical and historical readings and to screenings of films and DVDs that represent a variety of aesthetic approaches to the moving image. There will be a series of filmmaking assignments culminating in a final project. The bulk of the work will be produced in 16mm format including animation, optical printing, plus a variety of ways to self-process film or create cameraless moving images. Digital image processing and non-linear editing will also be supported. Keywords: filmmaking, analog, 16mm, film